I think we've focused too much on movies and books (and songs for the last one) here on this blog, so I wanted to open it up to a video game. A video game that all true males (and females) must have, NHL 11. I will say that the first time I played it, the game seemed to be lack-lustre, but the "Be a Pro" game mode caught my attention. And hey! It has mythological archetypes in it too!
All you need to start is to create your own player. I made my own, and his name was Alex Crosby. Funny, yes. I gave him a stark moustache, and real buck arms. In the end, he was very jacked. First, off I had to get this guy signed with a team, likely in the minors. I did some practice rounds (the beginning of the starter stage, of the "road of trials"), and my skills got me signed by the Adirondack Phantoms of the AHL. Not ideal, but good enough to start. In the beginning of the season, Alex was lost on the ice, didn't know how to contribute, and was just plain terrible. Then after a while, my player improved, and scored a hat-trick. This is the beginning of the hero's journey, coming up from nowhere and saving all "humanity". Alex Crosby saved the season and Adirondack made the playoffs.
The hero in this case (Alex Crosby) was able to lift the team on his shoulders and gun for the ultimate prize. Adirondack made it all the way to the Calder Cup Finals, where they eventually lost. After an off-season of hard work and gym training (another case of the road of trials, going through the innermost cave to get where he wants), training-camp for the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers starts. Nobody gives Alex a chance, but he makes it, overcoming all odds to do so. Mr. Crosby has to wok his way up from the fourth line to the first line, where his hard work and determination gets him more ice time, and more points. Along the way, the hero gets help from older players on the team, ones with more experience and full of advice to give. This is the the hero's mentor, like Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars.
That season, Alex scored 32 goals and 78 points, and in the playoffs lead the NHL in scoring with 14 goals and 23 points. Once again, Alex along with his team-mates went all the way, this time winning the elusive Stanley Cup. Playing on white ice (possibly sign of purity, and god-like for the player), Alex Crosby weighs the Stanley Cup on his shoulders, possibly like the Greek myth of Atlas. Re-signed to a 3-year contract for $6.5 million/year, Alex shows the true grit and determination we know in a hockey player.
Coming from the minors in the AHL, to the big-time in the NHL, scoring bit-time goals and leading his team to the Stanley Cup, Alex Crosby's journey from a dud in the system to a top-line player is something that only I can do...on a video game. Alex was later traded to the Edmonton Oilers (whoo!) for 5 players (including Magnus Paajarvi), and broke many records in the NHL, and won 6 Stanley Cups. Clearly, we can find myth arcs is many weird things, such as video games we play all the time. Do you see any other mythology archetypes in sport video games such as NHL 11?
